Police officers have clashed with militants during special operations in the mountainous area of Chechnya, with two policemen dead and 17 injured, according to police. After the shootout, militants retreated into the woods.

The clash took place in southern part of Chechnya during a forest
search, the Ministry of Internal Affairs told the media, adding
that six officers sustained gunshot wounds.

One of the police officers died on the way to a hospital, Life
News reported. The other died of leg injuries sustained from a
blast while chasing militants.

About 20 militants were reportedly discovered during the
operation, which was resumed on Saturday.

The search for the militants continues in “a remote mountain
forest, where officers are conducting a search operation to block
the militants,” the ministry said in a statement.

Russia’s North Caucasus is considered to be one of the country's
most troubled regions, with frequent reports of terror attacks
and anti-terror operations in the area.

In April 2009, Russia announced the end of its decade-long
counter-terrorism operation against militants in Chechnya.
However, sporadic terrorist attacks inside the region and beyond
continue.

In recent years the epicenter of violence has shifted from
Chechnya to Russia's other mainly-Muslim North Caucasian
republics of Ingushetia, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria.